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Winston-Salem State University becomes newest Campus Compact member

wssulogoWinston-Salem State University is the newest member of the North Carolina Campus Compact network, joining 35 colleges, universities, and community colleges that share a commitment to community engagement. As a member campus, Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) can access resources and professional development that help institutions develop high-quality programs to foster student citizenship and strong community partnerships.

“We are so excited to welcome Winston-Salem State into our network,” says Leslie Garvin, executive director of North Carolina Campus Compact. “WSSU is truly an anchor institution in their community, and I know they are doing great engagement work through initiatives like the mobile health clinic and the S.G. Adkins Community Development Corporation.”

North Carolina Campus Compact is one of 34 state and regional affiliates of the national Campus Compact network, headquartered in Boston and comprising nearly 1,100 schools. The national group was founded in 1985 by the presidents of Brown, Georgetown, and Stanford universities and the president of the Education Commission of the States. The founding leaders sought to “challenge higher education to re-examine its public purposes and its commitments to the democratic ideal.”

WSSU joins 14 other UNC system campuses that are also members of the Campus Compact network: Appalachian State University, East Carolina University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, NC A&T State University, NC Central University, NC State University, UNC Asheville, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC Charlotte, UNC Greensboro, UNC Pembroke, UNC Wilmington, and Western Carolina University.

Each year more than 500 individuals participate in North Carolina Campus Compact events and trainings, and nearly 2,000 subscribers access the monthly e-newsletters and an online, peer-reviewed journal, Partnerships. The Compact also provides grants to member campuses to support community volunteerism, civic engagement, and community partnerships.

Campus Compact is a “presidential membership organization” – a school’s president or chancellor joins on behalf of the campus; and all faculty, staff, and students can take advantage of network resources and events. Schools renew their membership annually.

Chancellor Elwood L. Robinson became the WSSU’s thirteenth chancellor in January 2015. A North Carolina native and an alumnus of NC Central University, Dr. Robinson served as the founding dean of NCCU’s College of Behavioral and Social Science from 2006-2012, before becoming Provost and Vice-President of Cambridge College in Massachusetts.

In his online message to the university, Chancellor Robinson emphasizes WSSU’s tradition of service and the enduring importance of this aspect of higher education:

“It is by emphasizing the importance of service as part of the educational experience that WSSU has prepared our graduates to become true leaders. … We have to continue to provide our students with a high touch, caring educational environment that also imparts upon them the value of service to others and an appreciation for social justice for all.”

NC Campus Compact member schools have received national recognition for connecting student learning and community involvement. Twenty of the 28 North Carolina institutions appearing on the federal 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll are members. WSSU appeared on the Honor Roll in 2007, 2008, and 2009.

Of the 18 North Carolina schools that have received the Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 17 are members of NC Campus Compact. The state ranks 5th among all states in the number of colleges and universities honored by the foundation.

The North Carolina organization was founded in 2002 by presidents and chancellors from 14 institutions, including Elon University, which hosts the state office. Elon University President Leo M. Lambert served as the network’s first board chair and is a former member of the national Campus Compact board.

President Nido Qubein of High Point University is the current board chair.

“Institutions join Campus Compact of North Carolina with a will, a desire, a hope to make things better,” said Qubein. “Part of a holistic education is to be fully engaged to collaborate and work with others to make the community in which we live a better place. Winston-Salem State University will certainly add to our work across the state.”

WSSU was founded in 1892 and in 1925 became the first African-American institution in the nation to grant elementary education teaching degrees. Building on its core strengths in education and the health sciences, the university has grown to serve 5,200 students through innovative undergraduate and graduate programs in more than 40 majors.

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